Saturday, August 25, 2018

It's not long until Halloween so I thought it would be a great time to start reviewing what the most popular women's costumes were for 2018. I checked a number of different costume websites to find out what the trending costumes are for this year.

I was surprised by a few of the costumes that kept popping up on the lists, but after collating numerous sites I believe these ten costumes will be the most popular for women this year, let's take a look at them shall we?

We have the likes of Wonder Woman, Eleven, Rey, Winifred Sanderson, Harley Quinn & Daenerys Targaryen to name just a few, I wonder which one will be your favorite.

Wonder Woman Halloween Costume

Joint Number One Women's Costume for 2018

Wonder Woman tied with Eleven as the top rated women's Halloween costume for 2018.

It's not surprising to me as Wonder Woman is an iconic superhero from my childhood and has also become immortalized on the big screen now which means a new generation of girls can embrace this female superhero.

Now it's hard to know which Wonder Woman costume will be the most popular - the classic costume or the movie Wonder Woman costume. I suggest you just choose the one you prefer.

Eleven Costume from Stranger Things

Joint Number One Women's Costume for 2018

I keep telling myself that I must watch Stranger Things as I keep hearing how amazing it is. I don't know who the character Eleven is, but she tied with Wonder Woman as the most popular, trending costume for women this year.

As far as I can tell there is only one costume which is a pink dress with green and yellow banded sports socks.

Having had a look at Google Images for Eleven there does seem to be a couple of other options for a costume that fans of the show may want to create for themselves.

Rey Halloween Costume

Third Most Popular Women's Costume for Halloween 2018

I have put Rey as the third Halloween costume and yet it got the same number of mentions as the rest of the list. Why I'm elevating it above the others however is because on a couple of sites they mentioned any Star Wars costume (as opposed to picking one particular one such as Rey or Princess Leia).

Let's face it Star Wars is a classic Halloween themed costume, I don't see that ever changing!

There are a few different Rey costumes available, including what I think of as the classic Rey costume that is pictured here.

More Women's Costumes for Halloween 2018

Let's Round Out the Top 10 Costume Ideas

The next seven costumes for women all seemed to be just as popular as each other, trending slightly differently on different sites, but being mentioned the same amount of time.

Ghostbuster Costumes for Women

It's been two years since the remake of Ghostbusters with a female cast and yet it appears that these costumes are still trending this year!

I do love both the 2016 Ghostbusters as well as the original Ghostbusters overalls and they are also a great costume to wear if you're going out with a couple of friends and want a group costume idea.

In this article on Ghostbusters costumes, it also features a couple of other costume ideas that aren't the Ghostbusters themselves which is perfect if you're looking for a group costume idea.

Winifred Sanderson Costume

A Hocus Pocus Costume Idea

If you're trying to think, who is Winifred Sanderson and why does the same seem familiar, she's one of the witches from the 1993 movie Hocus Pocus. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of this popular movie there have been a number of membrabillia released including a range of Hocus Pocus Halloween costumes.

I believe that this is why Winifred's costumes have been trending for women, I'm not sure why the Sarah Sanderson and Mary Sanderson costumes haven't received as much attention, although I guess everyone thinks of Bette Midler's character before the other two.

Finding these official costumes has proved a little tricky however which is why I've included this diy no-sew tutorial for your very own Winifred costume -

Baywatch Costume

I imagine that this costume is trending because of the 2017 movie of Baywatch which I have yet to see.

Looking at the costumes available they don't seem to have changed since the popular television series which I'm sure you all must have seen at least a couple of episodes of.

In my opinion this is definitely best to go with if you're in a warm climate for Halloween! Also don't forget to practice the 'slow mo running' to really bring the costume to life!

Harley Quinn Halloween Costume

There are lots of different Harley Quinn costumes available and I actually wrote about them here. It surprises me that the Suicide Squad Harley Quinn costume is still trending as a must have Halloween costume for 2018, although I guess I shouldn't be surprised as Harley Quinn is quite a character.

Daenerys Targaryen Costume

Despite the fact that the Game of Thrones did not have a season this year their costumes were still popular including for men Jon Snow and the White Walkers. When it comes to costumes for women though there seems to be a clear winner with the Mother of Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen.

There are a number of costumes available for Daenerys to choose from and I must admit as a fan of hers I really can't decide which costume I would want to choose!

The Handmaid's Halloween Costume

The Handmaid's Tale is yet another show that I am yet to watch even though the reviews were amazing. With a successful second season airing this year it's hardly surprising to find this simple costume is popular.

The thing I love about this costume is that I can see the costume being easy to adapt into other costumes in future years which is something I love.

Which Costume Will You Choose

Would you like to wear one of these ten top trending Halloween costumes this year, or will you be looking to make you own mark with something different or a classic that you love?

We have a number of costume pages on this site that you might find inspiration from -

Top Three Group Costume Ideas for Halloween
There are some wonderful ideas for group costumes, but sometimes when you're trying to think of just one you go completely blank! This article gives you three of the top group costume ideas for Halloween which you will love.

The Best Animal Costumes for Halloween
Animal costumes are always a fun idea for Halloween. Heather reviews some of the animal costumes that are proving to be popular, even though she's loving her peacock costume she gives a nod to the other costumes available. I've always found dog themed costumes to be popular near where I live, but Heather reveals the most popular animal costume in her part of the world - guess what it is!

Reviewing Hobo Costume Ideas, Head to Toe
I must admit I had never thought about dressing up as a hobo for Halloween until I read Susan's article and I must say it's an ingenious idea. I do love an easy diy costume idea and this is certainly one of those, perfect for a last minute costume idea if you were thinking of missing Halloween this year and changed your mind on the day!

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article.

Saturday, October 14, 2017

A local news story recently reported on an upcoming event in my area called 'Eat, Drink and Be Scary'. It appears to be a regular event around the country, but the story reminded me of the many Halloween reviews I've read in the past by Review This! Contributors on food and drinks and 'scary' costumes.

Today, I'd like to share some of them with you to give you some ideas for your own Halloween party or community event you may be attending this October 31st.

The appetizers could be 'scary', like these Blood Shot Deviled Eggs (recipe by Mandee Sears). They may LOOK icky, but are really tasty deviled eggs with black olives and red gel cake icing for the decorations.

Be Scary for Halloween

The scary part of your Halloween party or event will most likely be your costume. There are many, many to choose from. I have selected a few ideas to get you started on your search for the perfect one to suit your personality.

For a themed party, you could dress up in a group with these suggestions from RT writer Louanne Cox. Star Wars and Avengers are among this season's top favorites.

Saturday, September 23, 2017

Let's review some group costumes ideas that I know you'll love. Group costumes can be a great idea for Halloween or indeed any fancy dress occasion, but first you need to agree on what everyone dresses up as.

I would say choose your favorite Avengers character and dress up as that, but with any group costume you will need to make sure you don't end up with five of you dressing up as Thor! Remember the Big Bang Theory (albeit they were dressing up as DC Comics superheros and someone had to be Aquaman, they couldn't all be The Flash!) and decide on who is dressing up as who!

With the Avengers there are lots of different options for a costume including -

Thor

Iron Man

Captain America

The Hulk

Black Widow

Hawkeye

Ant Man

Daredevil

Doctor Strange

Elektra

Spider Man

and that's just a few of the superheroes. An Avengers group costume could also include Nick Fury, Agent Coulson and other characters from the comics and/or movies including some of the villains.

Star Wars has been a classic group costume idea since 1977 and as the fans seem to increase every year I can't see this group costume idea diminishing any time soon! Now obviously you can't have more than one Darth Vader or Princess Leia, but it is a group costume where you can have some double ups in the form of stormtroopers for example.

I must admit when I think of Star Wars I always think of the original trilogy so Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Hans Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO and R2-D2 along with Darth Vader are the initial costumes that come to mind.

With the expansion of the Star Wars Empire there are even more costume ideas to explore, so who will you be Rey or Leia, R2-D2 or BB-8? You could even mix them up and have a selection of Star Wars era costumes on show!

I have a few friends who echo the statement below -

What do you think of this rather bold statement? Personally I think I'd prefer the Flintstones, but I'm completely ready to be out voted in which case "bags I be a wookie!"

Who doesn't love the Flintstones? It's great to see that these costumes are having a bit of a surge in popularity again as a few years ago you couldn't go to a fancy dress event without seeing at least one Flintstones costume (whether it was Fred or Barney or several). I fancy being Dino myself, what about you?

I do have a couple of friends who have dressed up as Barney & Betty Rubble on a couple of occasions, but for some reason I've never had a Flintstone's costume. Dino does have my name on it though so maybe I need to convince a group of friends to join me in the Flintstone's group costumes this Halloween!

Have you ever participated with friends in a group costume? If so what did you go as, I'd love to know.

More Halloween Costume Ideas

Here on Review This we have a few other ideas which would be perfect for a group costume idea. I have written a review on Harley Quinn Costumes and you could take these costumes and either dress as Harley through the ages or dress up as members of the Suicide Squad or just Batman Villains.

Susan has reviewed how to create a Hobo Costume. If you're looking for an inexpensive DIY group costume then I think a group of Hobos would be awesome.

Heather reviews the best animal costumes for Halloween and this really is a great group costume idea. You could get one of your group to dress up as a zookeeper or farmer depending on what animals the rest of you wanted to dress up as. Another idea (which is especially great if your group is made up of couples) is a Noah's Ark style of group costumes where you have two of every animal you want!

You can check out a lot of other Halloween costume ideas along with other Halloween fun by following our Halloween board on Pinterest - you won't be sorry!

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article.

Thursday, September 15, 2016

Since I was a little kid, one of my favorite homemade costumes for Halloween has been a hobo costume. My mother was always good at creating costumes from whatever we had around the house and this was one of her specialties.

A hobo costume is easy to put together and one of the most effective when it comes to hiding your true identity, which I think is the most fun part of any costume party.

So if you're a boy, girl, man, or woman looking for a way to win the local Halloween costume contest this year, you've come to the right place because I'm ready to reveal some of our favorite hobo costume ideas, head to toe.

Hobo Costume Ideas From Head to Toe

Two hobos walking along railroad tracks.
Public domain photo.

Actually, let's start in the middle. Since hobos were homeless, traveling itinerant workers, their clothes had a tendency to become tattered and worn. Traditionally, one pictures a hobo in overalls or jeans with patches, wearing a worn work shirt. So, an old pair of overalls with patches sewn on and a wrinkled, tattered shirt are the most important items of clothing to start with as you put together your hobo costume. Check in the back of a drawer or the closet for old jeans or overalls. Add a worn leather belt or suspenders if you can find them. Choose a shirt that is a bit over-sized to accommodate the first of my mom's secret hobo costume props, a small pillow. Add the pillow to your upper back, inside your shirt or t-shirt. Use safety pins to attach it to your shirt so it won't slip. Read on to learn why the pillow is so important.

If you can't find what you need in your own closet, check with a family member or friend. Or visit the local thrift store where you'll likely find inexpensive items that will work well. Any hobo worth the name would have a small sewing kit in his satchel, so if you want to and have time, cut patches out of another old shirt or pants and sew those to the knees or elbows of the pants or shirt you've chosen for the costume.

Hobo Shoes or Boots and a Hobo Hat

If you can find old shoes with holes, definitely go with those. If the shoes are too big, try stuffing them with newspaper which you can arrange to show through the holes, definitely a nice - and authentic - touch. Likely you'll be able to find an inexpensive pair of boots at the thrift store that you can scuff up for the occasion.

For a boy or man, look for either a stocking type cap or, even better, an older style hat with a brim. Think 1960s or Freddie the Freeloader (or the photo above). For women, a kerchief around the head will be fine. A typical big red bandanna, nicely wrinkled, will cover your hair and contribute to your disguise. Check the local dollar store if you don't have a bandanna lying around the house. Either way, try to hide your hair to help hide your identity.

Important Hobo Costume Accessories

Stereotypically, a hobo would carry what few belongs he had wrapped in a bandanna satchel or perhaps his spare shirt, tied to a stick which he would carry over his shoulder. If you use a stick, just use caution around other people's eyes.

Another secret to a prize-worthy hobo costume is a walking stick or a cane. For the very best effect, make the stick short so that you have to stoop over to use it. Remember the pillow inside the back of your hobo shirt? Leaning over the walking stick with a pillow "humpback" will help to obscure your face by bringing it down below eye level and will be a huge addition to the character. Cut a broomstick or find a good-sized piece of tree limb for the stick, or use an adjustable cane. Wear an old pair of work gloves to cover your hands, again so you won't be recognized.

Makeup or a Hobo Mask Adds a Finishing Touch

For trick-or-treating, some powdered black eyeshadow or face paint for a beard (for a guy) or streaks of dirt (for a girl) is recommended since makeup won't obstruct your vision. However, for a costume party and for the very best effect, a mask is a must. A pullover latex or silicone, full-face mask is the ultimate, or find a good frontal face mask. An old man or old woman mask works perfectly to create a convincing hobo character.

If you disguise your identity with a mask, either a man or a woman can play the part of a hobo. You'll find an awesome selection of very affordable old man masks on Amazon. If you're going all out and have a good budget, a professional silicone old man mask, like this "Bertrand" mask from TheMasker on Etsy, will totally hide your face and neck and completely fool anyone who knows you as long as you don't talk.

The Secret Ingredient to a Perfect Hobo Costume

Which brings us to the most important secret to the best hobo costume ever: Don't talk. Enter the costume party with your hobo costume intact, leaning over your walking stick. Walk slowly and simply don't say a word. I can tell you from experience, this is the most fun part of the whole costume.

Mingle among the guests and do some one-hand grazing of the refreshment table if you like, but keep quiet. Everyone will be talking about your character and wondering who it is inside such a perfect hobo costume. Continue the ruse as long as you can, or at least until the costumes are judged. Enjoy the role and have fun!

What Is a Hobo, Anyway?

Two hobos ride the rods on the underside of a boxcar.
Public domain photo

Ever wonder about hobos and if they still exist? Answers.com defines a hobo as one who wanders from place to place without a permanent home or means of livelihood. The term "hobo" sprang up during the depression as men lost their jobs and began wandering door to door seeking work.

I remember a hobo coming to our door back in the late 1950s, but until this year I wasn't sure that people who call themselves hobos actually still exist. They do! In fact, they even have conventions. If you're interested, learn more about real-life hobos and the hobo convention at these links:

The name Harley Quinn is a play on words harking back to harlequins and DC Comics aren’t the first to make this reference – Agatha Christie features the Mysterious Mr Harley Quinn in some of her stories.

In the comic world Harley Quinn is a female
and actually began her life in the comics as Doctor Harleen Quinzel.

The graphic novel Mad Love recounts how psychiatrist
Dr Quinzel falls in love with the Joker while he’s her patient at the Arkham
Asyllum. She ends up as his on-again,
off-again sidekick – Harley Quinn.

The classic black and red costume of Harley Quinn is more
than a nod to the historical harlequin of the 17th century English
Harlequin (which was an evolution of the Harlequin from France first written about around the 11th
century).

The Paul Cezanne painting of a Harlequin (middle picture)
could possibly be the inspiration for the red and black combination traditionally used in Harley Quinn’s
costume. Between 1888 and 1890 Cezanne painted four different pieces focusing on the Harlequin .

In the Mr Ellar as Harlequin
theatrical portrait (top picture) you can see the idea for Harley’s original
mask. I believe that the ruff featured here also probably influenced the white collar used on the original Harley Quinn outfit as well.

The bottom picture of the court
jester has the hat that Harley Quinn sports in her first costumes. The shape is very much the same, although Harley's has just two 'points' on her hat instead of the traditional three.

Here’s an original Harley Quinn costume for you to purchase
for Halloween or any other fancy dress event you have in your calendar.

Harley Quinn Classic Costume

The court jester style outfit has been changed over the years with changes being made to her mask, collar & hat. It has even become a two piece so that some midriff could be shown.

Harley Quinn Cosplay Costumes

The Harley Quinn Arkham Costumes

In Batman: Arkham Asylum (the 2009 video game), the colors are changed from red and black to red and purple. The traditional outfit is also changed to a an asylum nurse's outfit......mind you I don't think you'd see a nurse dressed quite like this in any hospital I've ever visited!

We also see the jester hat retired and Harley's blonde hair is worn in two pony tails. The hat hasn't, as yet, made a re-appearance and I quite like that because the jaunty, blonde two pig tails are a great look on Harley.

As we can see Harley Quinn is no longer looking like court jester, but is developing into a comic book sex symbol!

In the sequel game, Batman: Arkham City, released in 2011, Harley reverts back to the black and red color scheme we all love.

The blonde ponytails remain, but the tips of them are dyed - one side red and the other black in a fun homage to her old jester hat.

She's no longer masquerading as a nurse, but has put a much grittier spin on the traditional harlequin costume. In keeping with her sex symbol status her midriff is showing and the top looks rather like an under-bust corset and bra combo.

Check out the officially licensed Arkham City Harley Quinn costume below. The outfit has a leather look about it that is designed to show some attitude. In reality this costume is a mix of polyester, vinyl and latex.

Yet another video game sequel was Batman: Arkham Knight which saw the next outfit change for our Harley.

She kept her trademark red and black colors and wore her blonde hair in pony tails with the black and red tips, but her actual costume resembled that of a french maid gone bad!

The skirt is in the style of a french maid, but is black, her black corset actually covers her midriff now. Out of the video game reincarnations I think this is probably my favorite. I love the leather look choker and the fact that the midriff is covered - I think it's a very edgy costume and does justice to Harley's attitude.

Yet another rebirth of the DC characters occurred in 2016 which included changing Harley Quinn's costume once more. This time the familiar red and black was changed to red and blue and Harley Quinn along with members of the Suicide Squad were to star in their own movie as anti-heroes saving the day.

Harley Quinn Suicide Squad Costume

I must admit that I loved the Suicide Squad Halloween costumes and Harley Quinn really did get a great look that is proving very popular with fans. No more court jester, Harley Quinn just got a punk inspired, edgy street look that I predict will be extremely popular this Halloween.

Brought to life on the big screen by Australian actress Margot Robbie Harley Quinn still has her blonde pigtails, but the ends are dyed pink and blue instead of the black and red. She's wearing the type of hot pants that fellow Australian Kylie Minogue made famous, although Harley is sporting hers over the top of fishnets!

High heeled sneakers, smudged make up and a jacket thrown over a t-shirt gives Harley a real 'don't mess with me' look.............or that could be the bat she's wielding!

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Costumes for an Animal Theme Halloween Party

It's almost the witching hour now, as we are only 16 days away from All Hollow's Eve as it was known before being re-christened as "Halloween." I love Halloween because I love to dress up in costumes and see all the costumes and decorate the house and have a party! It really has evolved to be the gateway to the Holiday Season as it seems to add a sparkle to the air in the Fall.

One year I had a Halloween party where we stipulated animal costumes so that was the year I started the scary spider theme as my Halloween decor of choice. Creepy right? Funny because I really don't like them in real life at all and border on arachnophobia! But what's Halloween without some creepy scary spiders and goblins and ghosts? So I like to decorate the lawn with scary spider decorations, and the windows too.

A lot of animal costumes showed up that year and I think it was one of my most fun parties so my daughter and I have decided to do another Halloween animal costume party this year. So far the best ones we've heard our guests are donning are a mix of expected and unexpected.

The obvious animal costume where I live is a Horse, and sure enough someone is coming in a horse costume! There are actually quite a few horse costumes available too. Another one I'm not surprised by is a cat costume and we have heard two guests have chosen to be a cat for Halloween. (Many of our guests are under the age of 5)

But I'm pulling out my Peacock Costume and I hear there are lots of Ninja Turtles coming along with Batman and Spiderman who are sort of animal costumes so they count too.

We're also going to have some doggie guests and one of them is going to be wearing a Spider costume so that should keep all the arachnophobics on guard. Especially if they are not dog lovers. 2 phobias in one!

Yes I would say animal costumes are awesome for Halloween!

Happy Halloween to everyone!

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Simple, Inexpensive Halloween Costumes

What is the best Halloween costume? Well I hate waste so to me the best costume is one that can be worn again for other things, or at least some of the parts can be worn again. And I really don't like the ones at the big box stores because they fall apart so quickly and really look cheap too. (But they aren't really cheap if you look at the prices for what you are getting.)

So my kids and myself always make costumes from stuff we already have and just buy masks and cute Halloween bags.

No Sew Cowgirl Costume

This year I moved to Texas so the clothing I see when I walk around town is quite different than the clothing I was seeing in California where I lived for many years. This state is very proudof its Western/Cowboy heritage and people still revel in all things cowboy and horse related, including their clothing.So it was an easy choice for me to make a no sew cowgirl costume this year for Halloween, as I can buy all the parts locally and more important, I can wear all the clothes after Halloween is long gone, especially the boots. I love boots! Long skirts, boots, vests, scarves, all can be worn again in different styles of clothing, so your costume will not be a money waster. And bonus, if you don't sew, you can make it without sewing.

No Sew Ballerina Costume

Now if cowboys and cowgirls are not your thing, you can still make a Halloween costume that you will be able to wear again and not waste all that money. Some great choices include, a ballerina costume for a dancer, or even a "Cats" dancer. I did that one when the play was popular, and got to wear the tights and the bathing suit afterward for years. Even if you or your child are not a ballerina, the tights and leotards are reusable for other outfits.

No Sew Cheerleader Costume

A cheerleader costume is also one that can be worn again. A gymnast can use that cute outfit, and so can a skater. And your child can pretend to be a cheerleader any time, and get exercise in a fun way.

Use Pajamas for a No Sew Halloween Costume

Of course if your little one is under the age of 10, you can also use pajamas as the base of your costume and then you will definitely get wear from them. That's my best hint in the money saving department. I discovered this when my son wanted to be Luke Skywalker for Halloween. I made him a costume from a pajama pattern and he wore that thing for 5 years straight, I kid you not. I had to wash it while he was at school so he could put it on the minute he got home. As he grew I let out the hems of the pants, so it lasted for those 5 years. Now that was a budget costume!So if you want to save money on Halloween costumes, make a costume that will be reusable. Just say no to wasteful big box flimsy ones! Use your imagination instead. Happy Halloween!

Ballerina and Cheerleader Photos are courtesy of Amazon.com

Note: The author may receive a commission from purchases made using links found in this article.

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